The Equifax Data Breach in 2017 exposed the personal information of a total of 143 million Americans through unauthorized data access from mid-May through July 2017. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) was accessed including social security numbers and addresses.

The 2017 Breach Level Index report will prove how often data breaches occur:

7,125,940 compromised every day

2,96914 compromised records every hour

4,949 compromised records every minute

82 compromised records every second

It also mentioned the industries which took the highest hit of data breach incidents. Healthcare, financial services, education, technology, and the government topped the list.

The 3 Data Breach Nightmares We Can All Learn From

YAHOO

In 2017, Verizon Communications confirmed that three billion Yahoo users’ accounts were exposed in a 2013 breach. Digital thieves managed to get hold of names, birth dates, and passwords.

ASHLEY MADISON

In 2015, some hackers decided to evoke drama on Ashley Madison's users' life by hacking their information and dumping them on the internet. As a result, some people lost their jobs while others filed for legal action to save face.

Identity theft, internal threats, improper disposal, and natural disasters were some of the factors which caused data loss. These can have catastrophic effects and can impact the company's major decisions. Sales information, social security numbers, and even Intellectual Property information can be altered by hackers.

But thanks to Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), consumer awareness has increased, and cybersecurity is now given more importance. Companies will never be immune to data breach and loss, but we can protect our businesses by securing and backing up our data.

Archive One is a document management software that helps companies easily classify, store, secure, and retrieve essential documents that are needed for retention and audits.